This week's Rare Bird Alert

A lesser black-backed gull was seen at the Rockingham Park parking lot in Salem on May 7.

A black tern, a sora, three greater yellowlegs, and five least sandpipers were all reported from the Pondicherry National Wildlife in Jefferson and Whitefield on May 11.

.A black tern, a thick-billed murre, four great egrets, 14 snowy egrets, nine black-bellied plovers, 31 semipalmated plovers, two piping plovers, 22 greater yellowlegs, 16 willets, 235 sanderlings, 44 least sandpipers, a white-rumped sandpiper, 16 purple sandpipers, 164 dunlins, 32 Bonaparte's gulls, seven roseate terns, and 402 common terns were all reported from the coast on May 11, and two least terns were seen on the coast on the 12th...A grasshopper sparrow and a vesper sparrow were seen at the Concord Airport on May 11.

A snow goose was seen on Hedgehog Pond in Salem on May 13.

Four least sandpipers, a greater yellowlegs, and a semipalmated plover were seen in a pond next to the Steeplegate Mall in Concord on May 11...Twelve American pipits were seen in Canterbury and seven were seen in Concord, all during the past week.

Several white-crowned sparrows and Lincoln’s sparrows were seen during the past week.

There were several reports of orchard orioles during the past week...s of warblers were reported during the past week including an unconfirmed report of a golden-winged warbler in Hooksett, a Cape May warbler in Hanover, a Canada warbler in Keene, and several Tennessee warblers and Blackpoll warblers...Vireo species reported during the past week included red-eyed, warbling, yellow-throated, and blue-headed.

A purple martin was reported from Hinsdale on May 11. Other swallow species reported during the past week included cliff, bank, barn, tree, and northern rough-winged, and chimney swifts have returned to many sites...This information is also available by phone recording: call 224-9909 and press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the recording or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put either “bird sighting” or “Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon web site, www.nhaudubon.org...